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Police Commissioner must answer public’s questions
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Above: Controversial future plans for Sutton Coldfield Police Station were revealed in a four-line post on Social Media this week.
An update on the Police Station: I have written to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) urging him to accept the request from Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council to attend its next meeting, and answer questions from councillors and the public on the future of our Police Station.
Residents were shocked to see ‘for sale’ signs suddenly appear outside the station last month, when scant detail was available as to what the PCC’s plans actually were for policing in the Royal Town. There has been no public consultation at all on this vitally important issue, with residents having to search out information for themselves.
This week, the PCC chose to use social media to confirm that he intends to convert former ‘police houses’ at the back of the site to create a new smaller facility. The social media post rather grandly said he was ‘pleased to reveal’ details that Sutton Coldfield residents should surely have been consulted upon all along!
A glib four-line post on X is no way to announce a change in policing that will impact the lives of 100,000 people. Frankly, there has been a shocking lack of communication on this, and local people are right to feel angry at how they have been treated.
After I raised these local concerns with him, the PCC invited me and Town Council leader Simon Ward to a behind-closed-doors meeting at Lloyd House, the Police HQ in the city centre. I have told him that this would not be helpful – as I believe we need more transparency, not less – and urged him to explain the decision before Sutton Town councillors and local residents.
Whether he will do this or not remains to be seen – but I do know that this most important matter will be debated in the House of Commons on Wednesday, September 4th, after I requested that a special adjournment debate be held.
To be clear, I hugely value the hard work carried out by our local officers, and I know concerned residents simply want to ensure that our town is protected by a proper, fully functioning police station.
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£800,000 to replace school’s roof and windows
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Above: With students, staff and councillor Richard Parkin at Hollyfield Primary School.
Great news for staff, pupils and families at Hollyfield Primary School in Reddicap Heath, which is to receive more than £800,000 from the Department for Education to pay for a much-needed replacement flat roof and windows.
I visited the school in April, when headteacher Andy Holmes raised his concerns over the need for urgent work. I promised to give him my full support and I’m very pleased to see that such a significant amount of money is heading their way.
The roofing at Hollyfield has experienced multiple leaks throughout various areas of the building, which has caused significant damage to the internal fabric of the property over several years. Previous patch repairs have failed to alleviate the issue.
It looks like work will begin in August, taking 19 weeks, and will not require the closure of the school. If all goes well, this wonderful local school should have its new roof and windows by the start of 2025.
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Alice is the pride of Sutton
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Above: Sutton’s Alice Kinsella in Paris.
Sutton Coldfield’s own Alice Kinsella showed she is one of the best gymnasts in the world when she competed at the Paris Olympics this week.
Alice – a former pupil of Highclare School – was part of the GB All-round team who narrowly missed out on a medal, before she went on to score 53.799 in the individual all-around final – finishing in12th place.
Alice, who won bronze in Tokyo and two Gold medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, showed the kind of strength and determination only found in truly elite athletes. Everyone in the Royal Town should be proud of her.
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Talking green matters with Eco Sutton
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Above: Meeting with members of Eco Sutton.
I recently met and talked with representatives of Eco Sutton about making progress on environmental issues.
As the new government had drawn attention to the planned urban extension at Langley, they emphasised that this development must be worthy of the Royal Town and an example of sustainable housing. We agreed that the services for education and health must be in place as residents move in.
Because of the General Election the Local Electricity Bill, which I had supported, was not enacted. As a result, the issue of encouraging community electricity production and usage remains to be addressed.
We agreed to meet again in the autumn to explore these ideas. We also discussed how Sutton churches have set an example in the use of solar panels; and the town is home to the energy co-operative Power For Good.
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Looking forward to finding out about the past during Heritage Week
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Above: The original buildings at Wylde Green Station. The station and others along the line are to be the subject of a talk during the upcoming Heritage Week.
Work is progressing on Heritage Week in Sutton Coldfield next month, which runs between Friday 6th and Sunday 15th of September.
Organised by the brilliant Sutton Coldfield Heritage Network and backed by funds from Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, the week will feature fascinating talks, heritage tours of local spots and even a concert featuring instruments from throughout history – aptly hosted at Bishop Vesey’s our oldest school.
There will even be a talk held at Sutton Coldfield Train Station booking office, all about the Victorian station masters who once looked after our railway line.
We are lucky to live in a Royal Town with such a fascinating history, and thanks to events like this we can all learn much more about it.
For more details visit https://tinyurl.com/s2p6dbkt or see the full itinerary in the ‘more information’ section at the end of this message.
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A new look for the Royal Sutton School
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Above: The transformation of John Willmott School is continuing.
Work to transform John Willmott School into the newly renamed Royal Sutton School is progressing throughout the summer.
New signs have appeared outside the school, showing off the school’s new logo and colour scheme, ready for the return of students wearing their new uniforms.
Impressively, the school is giving more than 800 free blazers and ties to its students as it continues to reinvent itself - in a bid to become the town’s ‘school of choice’.
I have been hugely impressed by the improvements being seen at the school, under the leadership of headteacher Nicola Gould. Earlier this year, the significant progress at John Willmott resulted in its first ever ‘Good’ Ofsted rating – a huge achievement for a school that has faced challenges in the past.
When the new term starts, and students return, it will mark a huge milestone for everyone involved.
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Birmingham City Council carries out accounting ‘by hand’
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Above: More shocking details of the financial meltdown at Birmingham City Council have been revealed.
More shocking news about the perilous state of bankrupt Birmingham City Council. According to the Times, the City Council is having to complete its accounts by hand after the infamously botched installation of the £38 million Oracle accounting system.
That means Birmingham has been forced to carry out more than 40,000 hours of manual bookkeeping to maintain day-to-day functions, taking on a team of 26 people to fill emergency “cashbook roles”.
This work should have been automated by its new Oracle software – if its installation hadn’t been such a drawn-out nightmare. Over 13 months, this “interim” team cost more than £1 million, adding to the £100 million already wasted.
I need not remind Sutton residents of the impact of Birmingham’s financial mismanagement, with Council Tax rising by 21% over two years, libraries and community centres under threat, Park Ranger services cut and bin collections moving to fortnightly.
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A clearly brilliant opportunity to back much-loved charity Cherished
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Above: With Hannah Simnett outside the new home of Cherished in the Gracechurch and (right) the kind of glass divider they want to install. Could your business help them?
A remarkable local charity is looking for businesses that can help them finish their new town centre base – by sponsoring a glass wall.
Cherished, which was recognised with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service last year, was set up by Hannah Simnett in 2012 and now goes into virtually every school in the Royal Town and across Birmingham – that’s 70 schools in total. They help marginalised girls - and some boys - with confidence, guidance, support and encouragement as they chart the difficulties of young life.
Now they are busy converting the old Post Office in the Gracechurch to be their new home, and are looking for support from a local company who would sponsor a glass divider in their new community space.
The charity wants to install the glass wall divider so they can maximise the space and have a specific meeting and training room.
However, with no budget available, they are now looking to Sutton’s generous business community for support.
In return, they promise to promote their new business supporter, make them a VIP guest at their new home’s launch event and give them access to the new training and meeting space for their own use.
Cherished is a much-loved local charity, and I would urge local businesses to get in touch with them (via Facebook) to take up this offer.
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Two great open days this weekend
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Above: Historic New Hall Water Mill.
This weekend Sutton Coldfield residents can enjoy two great open days.
First, historic New Hall Mill will be open until 4pm on Sunday August 4th.
Located just off Wylde Green Road, New Hall Mill is one of only two working water mills still surviving in Birmingham.
Next Sunday visitors can see inside the working 18th century water mill, get refreshments at the tearoom, enjoy entertainment in the mill yard or visit some of the stalls in the meadow.
The mill is truly one of Sutton Coldfield’s hidden gems and, thanks to the work of the Friends of New Hall Mill, provides a great opportunity to take a stroll into the past.
Secondly, Sutton Coldfield Fire Station is also holding an open day on August 4th, between 10am and 4pm.
Visitors will be able to see car cutting and rope rescue demonstrations, meet and greet with your local firefighters, take a look inside the fire engines and enjoy face-painting, food, drink and sweet stalls.
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